Australia VS South Africa Location: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Australia VS South Africa Date: Saturday, July 10
BetXchange Australia VS South Africa Odds:
History
The Wallabies will host the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday, the first of two Rugby Championship matches between the two nations in this tournament. The following week, the two rivals play at Optus Stadium in Perth, with Australia hosting both matches to reduce tournament travel.
Historically, the SPringboks have had the better of the Wallabies. They first met in 1933 and have played each other 93 times in Test matches. South Africa won 50 of those, while Australia won 40, and there were three draws.
Bettors taking stock in venue performance should know that the Wallabies have done a tremendous job defending Suncorp from the ‘Boks. They have won four of the last five Tests played at the stadium, with the ‘Boks last win coming in 2013. It should also be noted that the Wallabies have several stadiums they use for international Tests, so South Africa has won games in Australia since that 2013 clash.
Australia
Sad news about Taniela Tupou’s father’s passing this week means that the Tongan Thor will not be with the Wallabies for this match. He will be replaced at prop by Alan Alaalatoa. Australia will miss the injured Fraser McReight in the back row, but hopes are high that his replacement, Carlo Tizzano, can make an impact on his Test match debut.
Australia’s ability to stay in this match will depend as much on the play of its halves as on that of its forward pack. Jake Gordon and Noah Lolesio have been assigned those duties, with head coach Joe Schmidt hoping they will have enough leadership and invention to cause problems in the Boks’ backline.
South Africa
South Africa will be back to full strength after shuffling the deck last time out against Portugal. The big miss in the pack is Franco Mostert in the second row, but when a player of RG Snymans quality can step in to partner Eben Etzebeth, a team is blessed with an embarrassment of riches at the position.
The bomb squad looks as fearsome as ever, with Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, and Kwagga Smith set to come in off the bench in the second half and change the game.
The biggest news about South Africa’s team selection is at fly-half. The vastly experienced Hanre Pollard is on the bench, with Sacha Feinberg-Mugomezulu getting the starting nod. The utility back has seen his star rise rapidly over the last 12 months, with this start perhaps suggesting that Rassie Erasmus is looking for more playmaking out of his No. 10 than we have seen in the past.
Best Bets
It will be interesting to see if any new law trials around speeding up the game come into play. The extra protection for the scrum-half around the base of a ruck is a welcome change and should lead to clearer distribution and line break opportunities.
I can’t see past South Africa. In July, the Wallabies were less than convincing against a young and unproven Welsh side. South Africa’s size will overwhelm Australia, and I like the Boks to win by 14+ points.
